A Lesson in Sportsmanship

When it comes to sports, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” At least that’s what Vince Lombardi preached sixty-something years ago. Yet in past months high school and recreational sport teams alike have been penalized for winning by too much. Punished for being inconsiderate. So many have begun to question, is it really fair to hinder a team as a result of its success?Michael Anderson, Arroyo High School’s girls’ basketball coach, received a two game suspension after a 161-2 team win. Anderson commented, “I didn’t play any starters in the second half. I didn’t expect them to be that bad. I’m not trying to embarrass anybody.” After a monstrous lead at the half, Anderson respectfully took out his starters, yet the bench continued to dominate the scoreboard with 58 points. At this point, the Arroyo team should have slowed down their game and used the lead as an opportunity to work on fundamentals rather than endless fast breaks. A win of 159 is simply ridiculous and should have been dealt with stricter coaching and regulation.Regardless, suspending a coach who clearly tried to lessen the deficit is inappropriate. Without any prior warning for such actions, it is not fair to either the coach nor the team to penalize success when it was not with ill intent. Some may argue that the actions of this team was unconditionally unsportsmanlike. But it is important to keep in mind that many of these young athletes are looking to pursue their basketball career in college. Being part of a highly successful team while improving statistics are vital for the recruiting process. The question remains, at what point does the deficit cross the line?That “certain point” in competition when teams are expected to loosen up is very ambiguous. A “clear cut” win can quite possibly become a devastating upset if a team rallies to overcome huge leads when those opponents lose focus. In 2010, Colorado University led Kansas 45-17 with just over eleven minutes left in the fourth quarter. What any ESPN analyst would call a blowout in the sport of football. But Kansas’ offense started clicking and scored an unanswered 35 points. In eleven minutes. Freak accident? Look at Michigan State, which overcame a 38-3 score in the second half. The list of historic comebacks is endless, so drawing the line here is not something that can easily be set in stone. Additionally, if any implementation of a  mercy rule were to take place, losing sides would deem that as unfair as they would lose any chance for a comeback.As coaches always have the right to forfeit, losing teams should not complain to the media about a game’s point differential. Should the winning team be respectful and sportsmanlike by regulating the score? Absolutely. Like I mentioned previously, the scoring should be slowed down to focus on basic aspects of the game, an opportunity to work on new plays in a competitive setting. But at the same time the winning coach should be the one to regulate their team’s intensity whether it’s to boost an athlete’s stats or to prevent a comeback as long as the game stays in a reasonable point range.